Fateful Battle

Machi and Quake followed.

Regardless of the final outcome, both of them need to witness this battle firsthand.

Chrollo carries the fate of the Phantom Troupe on his shoulders... and he is well aware of this.

He won... at least he can take Machi with him, but Quake will most likely die.

Because no one else should be included in the deal between Oboro and Hisoka.

If we lose... the entire Phantom Troupe will be wiped out.

No...

No, at least Uvogin and Nobunaga are still alive.

But Chrollo wasn't sure if Oboro had also made arrangements on Hero Island. If they had, then Uvogin and Nobunaga might already be dead.

The group returned to the square in front of the palace, but the surrounding fog was so thick that they could not see the environment at all. Oboro deliberately let the fog disperse to create a battlefield several hundred meters in diameter, which served as an arena for the two to fight.

Gunshots could still be heard in the distance.

Having narrowly escaped death, Du An, still unaware of the consequences, continues to use his Nen to control hypnotized targets and prevent the Mafia from breaching the gate.

However, the Ghost Mist released by Oboro covered such a large area that not only the entire palace was shrouded in mist, but the entire mountainside was also shrouded in clouds and fog, making it difficult to discern directions... This had a certain impact on the battle between Du An and the gang.

"You actually did it." As Chrollo and Hisoka walked into the arena one after the other, Illumi came to Oboro's side and said.

He only meant that Oboro broke through the entanglement between Silva and Zeno.

"There's nothing surprising about it. Your two are quite capable... they just don't know much about my abilities."

Long pulled over a corpse to use as a cushion and said softly.

"Hmm... that's true. Judging from your strength just now, it shouldn't be difficult for you to do that... I underestimated you."

Illumi nodded and said very sincerely.

The two did not dwell on this topic, as it was somewhat sensitive.

As a member of the Zoldyck Family, Oboro's arrival at the battlefield meant that her father and grandfather's mission had failed.

For the first time.

"Shouldn't we kill them both?"

Illumi glanced at Quake and Machi, who were standing together at a distance.

The woman stared intently at her team leader, her expression particularly tense.

In Illumi's view, regardless of whether Hisoka or Chrollo lives or dies, the final say will belong to Oboro.

This man dominates everything within the game.

If it were him, even if he agreed to Hisoka's request, he would still eliminate the remaining Spiders to prevent future troubles.

"Besides Hisoka, I also promised someone else."

Long did not say it explicitly.

"That person... is called Kurapika, right?"

Illumi understood immediately.

Throughout the entire Hunter Exam, the only person Illumi truly remembered was Gon ...

"Um."

"Your disciple?"

"No, I was just trying to help him out."

"You'll be kind?"

"..."

Hazy.

Who do you think will win?

Oboro changed his tune.

"If we're talking purely about strength, based on my understanding of the two of them, Chrollo can't beat Hisoka... However, judging from this match, I think Hisoka is more likely to die," Illumi said seriously, stroking his chin.

"How so?"

He asked a question he already knew the answer to.

His thoughts and Illumi's thoughts should be aligned.

"First of all, Chrollo is a very meticulous person. That person's Nen is somewhat special. The Candy Bean he ate must have some kind of powerful effect. After all... this trump card is meant to be used against you! And the difference in strength between Hisoka and you is still quite obvious... Under these circumstances, it will inevitably be more difficult for him to deal with dangers far beyond his own level."

What Illumi emphasized in his words was the existence of Quake.

"I've met Chrollo a few times... so I know him a bit. In that situation just now, he wouldn't have fought Hisoka without absolute confidence... He would have handed the decision of life and death to Hisoka, pursuing a sliver of hope. Or he would have fought to the death, even if he was killed by you, it would be better than surrendering... Don't let his refined appearance fool you, he actually has a very tough personality and doesn't care about death. The fact that he's accepting the challenge now shows that he's confident of victory... and can leave calmly after killing Hisoka and avenging his comrades."

"Finally... this person joining the Phantom Troupe means that Chrollo had been planning how to deal with you for a long time... He had some expectation of your appearance, which means that he himself... must have prepared some methods. It's just that you suddenly appeared and killed several people in an instant, shattering and crushing his thoughts... so he didn't put up any resistance and didn't reveal anything."

Illumi then pointed to Quake.

"Of course, my guess is not absolute... I have not witnessed Hisoka's full strength either, but... his advantages that he has on the surface are relatively small."

"Illumi ..."

Long suddenly smiled.

"Um?"

"Judging from your tone... you wouldn't have used that thing to do something to yourself, would you?"

With a hint of inquiry in her eyes, she stared at the long-haired, expressionless man with a cryptic look.

That thing... is naturally Alluka.

His trip to Kukuroo Mountain back then prematurely revealed a small part of Killua and Alluka's relationship, which will definitely cause some changes.

The butterfly effect, huh...

"It's about to begin!"

Illumi and he stared at each other for a moment, then Illumi suddenly turned to look at the arena and gave a reminder.

There was no direct answer.

"Oh..."

Long raised an eyebrow.

Oboro was quite looking forward to this battle, as both characters in the original work were important figures with outstanding personalities.

This is one of the reasons why he agreed to Hisoka's request.

First, in the original work, Chrollo was able to defeat Hisoka because he didn't immediately agree to a fight to the death; he made many preparations, such as gathering abilities and choosing the location. Secondly, he also received covert assistance. But now, all these advantages are gone... If that's all there is to it, Chrollo will undoubtedly lose.

Hisoka's current fate has already taken a turn... His raw strength is overwhelming within the Phantom Troupe.

However, just as Illumi analyzed.

Chrollo's backup plan, by some twist of fate, ended up being used against Hisoka.

This is enough to tip the scales... and turn the tide of battle.

The square beneath our feet was shrouded in mist, but the night sky above us was visible.

A cool breeze swept by, carrying with it a strong stench of blood... The view was not empty; it was filled with corpses and overturned banquet tables— the Asura created by Du An and Quake.

Chrollo's long hair fluttered in the wind as he looked at his opponent standing opposite him, who was already unleashing Nen and holding a playing card. He said calmly, "Hisoka, can you answer a question for me?"

"You say."

Hisoka licked his lips, a strange red glow rising in his eyes.

"If it weren't for Oboro, you wouldn't dare to reveal your true colors and start a war with me, right?"

"That's right... After all, you always have two people following you, making it difficult for me to find an opportunity to strike."

"Then I understand."

Chrollo smiled faintly.

He pulled his hands out of his coat pockets and unleashed his Nen, The Skill Hunter.

I grasped the manifested notes.

"I'm glad you answered me... In return, I'll tell you the result first: this... will be your burial ground."

The presence of three members, including himself, made Hisoka somewhat wary, and Chrollo had a rough idea of Hisoka's strength.

He could tell that Hisoka wasn't hiding anything.

That's the truth.

Because if it were Oboro, even if the entire Phantom Troupe were present, they would still intervene...

That's the difference.

And the trump card he used against Hisoka, against Hisoka... was just a small test.

Chrollo's attitude and the tone of his pronouncement... were, in fact, a form of humiliation.

Hisoka's expression also turned cold.

Chrollo keenly discerned his thoughts.

I saw through his intentions... so I compared him to Oboro.

This implies that he and Oboro are not on the same level at all, and that the reason the Phantom Troupe lost this time was only because of Oboro... not because of Hisoka.

Don't flatter yourself, you're getting too cocky...

Yesterday's make-up